The Priest and the Youkai Exterminator
I woke up with sweat on my brow. I had another nightmare. Actually, I had two that I can remember. One was the same one I always have. My little brother, Kohaku, was lying dead in a pool of blood. Then Naraku appeared and took him away and there was nothing I could do to stop it. As they floated away I ran to try and get Kohaku back, but it seemed the more I ran the farther away they would get. After that I fell into the safety of dreamless slumber until again I was assaulted by terrible visions. This nightmare was new and I've been having it for about a week now. It was a dream about Miroku. He was loosing his battle with the air void and it devoured him.
I sighed and got up walking away from the campsite towards a nearby river. There on the bank I sat and looked up into the night sky. Why was I dreaming about Miroku? I suppose I am worried about him, but no more than anyone else right? I know that Kagome has dreams about Inuyasha sometimes, but I believe that is because she loves him. I don't love Miroku. I can't. I already lost too many people in my life. If I were to fall in love with him and then loose him, it would kill me.
My muscles tensed as I heard a rustling behind me, but relief came when I heard his voice.
"Sango? What's going on? Why are you out here alone."
"I just had a nightmare about Kohaku."
"Again? I'm sorry this haunts you so badly."
"It's okay. I need to live with this. I have to feel Kohaku's pain. It's the only thing that keeps me going. I will probably continue having these dreams until Naraku is destroyed and Kohaku is free."
"No matter how badly you feel for the misfortune of a loved one, it is no excuse to torture yourself. You have lost so much Sango. If nothing else, you need to enjoy the company of your friends, even if you feel that you don't deserve such comfort. With all that you have been through I can only assure you that you do deserve to be happy."
I let his words sink in. Was I torturing myself? I suppose I was, but I don't feel I deserve happiness until Kohaku is free. Maybe they thought I was crazy, but how could I enjoy myself knowing that Kohaku was enduring the torture of being Naraku's servant. Before I knew it there were tears in my eyes. I can't cry, not now, not in front of him. My body had other plans however and the sobs took over. I've been holding in so much for so long. I guess it was bound to come out eventually. As I cried Miroku put his arms around me and pulled me close to him. His even breathing calmed me a little and my tears subsided. I smiled a little expecting him to grope me at any moment, but it never happened. As I looked up at him he looked back with caring and dare I say it, loving eyes. That Houshi! How dare he. He was making me fall in love with him with such little effort. All he had to do was smile and I felt better. I buried my face in his chest, not willing to relinquish this comfort yet. He just continued to hold me.
"Sango, you've been punishing yourself by keeping so much anguish locked up inside. It is about time to allow yourself some relief. Get the pain out of your system and stop carrying the weight of Naraku's curse upon your shoulders. You need to know that you're not alone in this fight. Naraku has somehow hurt all of us and that is how our group came to be. We are destined rise up together and fight Naraku until the end. Trust in us as we trust in you Sango because we share in your pain."
"I trust all of you very much. Please don't think that I don't."
"Then why don't you confide in us?"
"I don't know. Growing up I never really had anyone, but Kirara to confide in. My brother wasn't old enough to understand my problems so I couldn't talk to him. I'm not used to telling other people my problems."
"Plus, I suppose I'm the last person you would want to talk to."
"Why do you say that Houshi-sama?"
"It doesn't seem that you like me very much. I understand why with my questionable habits, but…"
"I do like you Houshi-sama," I interrupted, "I just don't appreciate when you touch my behind. All in all you're a kind and compassionate person who cares deeply for his friends. I value your friendship just as much as any of the others."
He looked at me in shock. Did it surprise him that much? What he did next took me completely by surprise. He leaned forward and placed a simple, warm kiss on my lips. I sat there frozen. I had no idea he felt anything toward me. He was always sweet-talking some girl somewhere. Did he really care for me that way? He broke the kiss and stared intently into my eyes. He even blushed a bit. That was incredibly out of character for Miroku. Perhaps I didn't know as much about him as I thought.
"I'm sorry Sango. It was wrong of me to take advantage of you like that."
"I don't think you took advantage of me Miroku."
"Miroku? You rarely call me by name."
"Well, there's always room for change right?"